Foundations of
Network Storage: Lesson 5 of 5.

In this lesson, we
will explore the storage technologies you can expect to see in the near future.

Looking ahead

Due to an increase in amount and types of information being
created, as well as rules and regulations that require more and better
retention of data, new storage technologies are quickly evolving. Existing tape
and disk backup technologies are experiencing innovations that bring larger
capacity and faster speed for storage. And every day, new technologies—such as
magnetic RAM chips and holographic data storage—are starting to see the light
of day as well.

While it is difficult to predict what the future holds in
terms of storage, here are some of the most likely trends:

  • The
    cost of storage will continue to fall
  • Data
    storage needs will continue to grow
  • Data
    security and integrity will become more and more important as more people
    conduct online transactions
  • The
    types of data that need to be backed up will change. Where you now have
    spreadsheets, documents, and tables, you’ll soon be seeing a need to store
    larger audio and video files.

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What’s next for Storage?

  • The
    future of tape for data storage: the 1-TB cartridge and beyond
    This article from computer Technology Review discusses
    new advances in Virtual Tape solutions.
  • IBM
    Magentic RAM (MRAM) Images
    Magnetic RAM chips use magnetic rather than electrical structures to store information, so they do not need to be constantly powered to
    retain data, like current RAM technologies. They are also much faster and less
    expensive to make than today’s nonvolatile Flash memory. Read about it here.
  • Magnitude
    3D clustered storage
    The Navy wields a new and unlikely weapon in its arsenal of surface
    combat systems: a future-proof storage area network (SAN). Using Magnitude 3D
    storage clusters from Xiotech, the Navy’s Surface
    Combat Systems Center (SCSC) lab can now adapt at combat speed to meet the
    technical needs of the crews that develop, tune, and deploy national defense
    technology.
  • Sony
    Envisions Role of Paper in Optical Data Storage Future
    Sony and Toppan Printing have developed an optical disk that uses the
    next-generation Blu-ray Disc format and is
    constructed partially of paper. As much as 51 percent of the optical disk
    consists of paper, leading to benefits such as reduced manufacturing cost and
    easy labeling, disposal, and destruction.
  • Holographic Data
    Storage: New Technology Meets Exponential Growth Needs
    Holographic Data Storage (HDS) is a technology that makes possible storage
    densities that exceed the barriers of traditional magnetic and optical
    recording. HDS has the capability to meet and exceed the expected storage
    demands well into the 21st century.
  • Holographic data
    storage: An overview
    Innovations, developments, and new insights gained in the design and operation
    of working storage platforms, novel optical components and techniques, data
    coding and signal processing algorithms, systems tradeoffs, materials testing
    and tradeoffs, and photon-gated storage materials are summarized.

White Papers

  • Enabling
    Tape Growth for the Future
    In this white paper, from Quantum Corporation, experts say to expect the
    capacity of tape cartridges to increase faster than disk drives for the
    foreseeable future. Automated tape will become more appealing for the
    rapidly growing archive, compliance, and fixed content applications as
    well as backup/recovery applications.
  • Storage
    Systems Consolidation: The Next Generation
    This white paper by Technology Alignment Partners describes the emerging
    trend toward storage consolidation architectures and the cost reductions
    and service improvements they promise enterprise computing environments.

Course list

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